US unicorn Carta launches in Singapore to help South-east Asian startups manage equity

CARTA, a US-based company recently valued at US$6.9 billion, has opened an office in Singapore amid the boom in South-east Asia's startup ecosystem.

A blog post stated that the company is launching in South-east Asia with two flagship products: a software platform for startups to manage their capitalisation tables and employee stock-option plans, and a tech-enabled service to help investors with fund administration.

The post said Carta opened its Singapore office in January - the first commercial operations for the business in Asia - "on the heels of an investment" from EDBI, the corporate investment arm of Singapore's Economic Development Board. A profile on government-run portal StartupSG states that Carta Asia Pte Ltd was incorporated in July 2020, with a registered address at OCBC Centre East.